River Forks Park reopened after water tests resulted in numbers well below the targeted bacteria level range.
"There were less than 10 colony-forming units per milliliter," Brian Wiley, the environmental monitor coordinator with the city of Gainesville, said. "So, that tells us that the water is very, very low in E. coli."
According to Wiley, the number the city hoped to see was 126 or less, so today's number was a relief to city officials. When River Fork was at a dangerous level of E. coli, the number was more than 500, he said.
There are a couple of things that could cause the drastic change in the levels of bacteria, Wiley said.
"We had that areas closed, so there hasn't been any type of contact with humans," Wiley said. "Animals and birds may not be quite as popular in the area because there haven't been things like food sources from people who have been feeding them."
As a result of less food and meal sources on the beach, it is possible the birds and animals have found a new location like a campsite, he said.
The other possible explanation could be the change of water, Wiley said. Water is constantly changing, flowing and circulating.
"The thing that's neat about water, is that when you do any kind of chemical testing, it's like a snapshot. It only tells you what's going on at that given time of testing," Wiley said.
According to Wiley, the city will not retest the beach outside of their usual testing schedule unless the county requests them to do so. The city typically tests the beaches bi-weekly until labor day, and gather their tests from River Forks Park and Clarks Bridge Park on Lake Lanier.
The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper tests water quality each week, but left River Forks Park to the city as a way not to duplicate efforts, according to a statement released by Dale Caldwell, the headwaters director with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.
Instead, CRK focused on Lake Lanier Olympic Park where a triathlon will be held this weekend. The results of the test revealed E. coli levels were well below the Environmental Protection Agency's standard for safe recreation, he said.
"We will continue Lake Lanier water quality monitoring for E. coli and notify appropriate authorities of any threats," Caldwell said.
